NY to hire thousands for Sandy clean-up

NEW YORK - The US state of New York has secured $27 million federal grant to hire more than 5,000 unemployed New Yorkers to help clean up communities still recovering from Hurricane Sandy, Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sunday here.

The funding, provided by a National Emergency Grant, will be provided to communities hit hard by the storm so they can quickly hire young people and the unemployed to help with clean-up efforts in affected counties.

The State Department of Labor, which is administering the funds, will work with communities to identify cleanup areas and deploy workers to job sites.

"As New York State begins to rebuild and clean-up after the incredible destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy, the enormous amount of work to be done gives us a chance to provide young and unemployed New Yorkers with job opportunities cleaning up their communities ," Cuomo said.

"This funding will not only provide young people and the unemployed with the opportunity to participate in cleaning up and rebuilding communities devastated by the storm, but it will provide valuable work experience and on-the-job training that can be useful in future careers."

In addition, Cuomo announced that the state has partnered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to launch a local hire program to replace FEMA employees, often from out of state, with New Yorkers.

"One of the ways we can help New York recover is to engage New Yorkers themselves in rebuilding their communities," said Federal Coordinating Officer Michael Byrne. "We will have a stronger recovery by having employees who are personally vested in its success."